Welcome one and all. With Halloween fast approaching there isn't a shortage of horror films to catch your eye. I recently watched the latest in the wildly successful wider universe of The Conjuring.
Before I begin I want to let you know I have something for everyone, you can check out my thoughts on the upcoming Netflix series The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina and my preview for the upcoming WWE live special Hell In A Cell. I love getting feedback on my articles and you can do this by leaving comments on posts and also by following me on Twitter and Instagram.
As I mentioned I will be reviewing the latest horror release, The Nun. This is the third spin off film and fifth overall film for The Conjuring franchise that revolves around the spooky and unsettling history of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. I must admit as much as I hate the modern horror jump scare phenomenon I do love this franchise as I feel that they are period piece horror films from the 70's styling of the original Conjuring films to the 1960's almost Rosemarys Baby style of the original Annabelle film. I was a little sceptical when I heard that The Nun character, now known as Valak, was getting a spin off film but, I wasn't disappointed. Co written by James Wan and Gary Dauberman (Annabelle, Annabelle Creation) and directed by Corin Hardy (The Hallow) the Nun follows the story of a young nun and priest as they travel to Romania to investigate the mysteries behind a seemingly cursed monastery that is housed in a castle.
I firstly want to state that I loved The Nun. Whilst I felt that there were a few issues it was one of the best entries in this franchise. This film felt a lot different from the previous entries and that's what I enjoy. Because The Nun took place in the 1950's there was something refreshing about the way in which the story was told. There was a Hammer quality to the story telling and characterisation throughout. The Nun reminded me on A Woman In Black in style, almost a theatrical quality and a very moral good and evil instead of shades of grey that you see in a lot of modern horror. There were a few more themes and issues that were left a little sparse for example the presence of the other nuns that assist Irene (Farmiga) in finding a solution to the problem. How long have they been there, and how long have they been trapped ? and also the hastily tied in ending that left a few questions. What I did enjoy was the lack of blood and guts which, keeps in style with the era of horror film making at that time. The risk sometimes is that a ghost story isn't enough and there needs to be a little violence and blood to keep the audience happy but, the story did all the talking.
I loved both Farmiga and Demain Bichir throughout. There portrayals of their respective characters were well portrayed. Bichir plays the grizzled, world weary priest well. Farmiga was excellent, really cementing her place as a modern scream queen. Bonnie Aarons (Valak) portrayal was dead on, menacing and mysterious with little to no dialogue that keeps up the mystery behind the character. The addition of Jonas Bloquet as the swarthy Frenchie was a great addition, providing a comedic relief in a very dark film. I loved the use of practical effects throughout the film. In modern cinema there tends to be an over use of CGI effects when a practical effect could have been easily used. I feel that there is something more satisfying and more in keeping with a more historical based film if practical effects are used.
The main issue I had with The Nun was the sometimes cheesy dialogue. There was some very on the nose and melodramatic scenes that, whilst in keeping with this style of film, felt like they were over acted to the point of scene chewing. The other issue I had, and I say this a lot, is the over use of jump scares. I feel that some of the scenes were dark and unsettling enough without adding an unnecessary jump scare.
Overall The Nun was a great addition to an already entertaining franchise. The film clearly shows a lot of promise for not only the franchise but, for all of the players involved.
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